Law Start Program Gives Admitted Students an Edge

Loyola Law School launched the new Law Start program this year to give admitted students an early dose of skills essential for success in law school and practice. The daylong program featured a mock contracts lecture and a case-briefing session, which provided critical feedback to students on their briefs. Other sessions featured the Law School’s bar preparation and academic success programs, clinics, pro bono and externship opportunities, and Concentrations.

“The program was designed to give the students a head start to skills training and success in law school,” said Jean Boylan, Associate Dean for Clinical Programs and Experiential Learning. Boylan spoke at Law Start about the school’s clinics, which include the Center for Juvenile Law & Policy, Center for Conflict Resolution, Hobbs District Attorney Clinic, Home Base Immigration Clinic and Project for the Innocent, among many others.

One ancillary perk of Law Start was the opportunity to meet with a range of law professors, including Dean Victor Gold, well before classes start – a fact that was not lost on attendees. “What I found to be most beneficial about the Law Start program was being able to personally speak to some of the professors and ask them any kind of questions I had,” said Adam Byrne, who will be a first-year student in the fall.

Professor Sean Scott presented the mock lecture on Syester v. Banta, a seminal contracts case dealing with misrepresentation. The case involved an elderly woman who sued a dance studio after she paid $29,174.30 (in 1955 dollars) to a dance studio on the promise that it could transform her into a professional dancer.

“What surprised me about the mock lecture was how much fun I had. The contract case we went over was perfect because not only was it interesting, but it also gave an insightful look into legal theory,” said Byrne. “I now have a much better idea of what to look out for when reading through a case.”